A North Lancashire hotel has strengthened its ties with a Portuguese drinks supplier with a port wine sampling evening and expert talk on the industry.

Lancaster House Hotel hosted a delegation from the House of Sandeman, a leading producer of fortified port wines originating from the vineyards of the Douro Valley in Portugal, for an evening of insight, expertise and sampling.

A group of 25 port wine enthusiasts participated in the event which included an enlightening talk on port wine production from Rui Santil, brand ambassador for the House of Sandeman.

The group also enjoyed a tasting menu of delicious canapé treats in the hotel’s Dalton Suite, with each course or dish paired with a vintage, reserve or tawny port specially selected to enhance the flavour and enjoyment of their food.

The partnership between English Lakes Hotels and the drinks supplier goes back more than 30 years, with the Lancaster venue’s Sandeman Bar being named after the Portuguese company when it first opened.

On a flight home from Spain in the 1990s, former English Lakes Hotels director, Douglas Dale, struck up a conversation with fellow passenger David Sandeman, the managing director at the time. On discovering their mutual interests in the hospitality industry, Douglas proposed naming the hotel bar after the Portuguese company, as well as establishing a supplier relationship.

Rui Santil commented:

“It’s been great to visit the historic city of Lancaster and an honour to come to Lancaster House Hotel for an evening of port sampling in the newly refurbished Sandeman Bar."

 “Our connection with the hotel goes right back to when it was first opened in the 1990s and Douglas Dale’s chance conversation with David Sandeman, so it was a real pleasure to meet Douglas and raise a glass to the enduring relationship between the two family businesses."

“It was also a lovely opportunity to talk to fellow port enthusiasts, share our knowledge on production and enjoy a range of our classic tawny ports.”

Lancaster House Hotel general manager Emma Underwood added:

“From our highly popular White Sandeman’s Port Cocktail as a pre-dinner drink to a 20-year-old tawny port evening nightcap, our port sampling evenings have always proved popular with hotel guests and local wine enthusiasts."

“It’s fantastic that our longstanding relationship with the House of Sandeman has continued to flourish. This event was an opportunity to celebrate that and for participants to find out more about the history of port production from Rui and his team, as well as sampling some classic ruby, white and tawny ports.”

For further information about upcoming port and cheese nights at Lancaster House Hotel, visit here.